The invention relates to a device for examining and/or recording human medical disorders, in particular inflammations in the cutanous and/or subcutaneous region, physical conditions and/or physiological processes of a person (test person or patient). The device comprises a sensor unit and an display unit for indicating a sensor signal that is generated and/or processed by the sensor unit, it being possible to assign the sensor unit to the person with no influence being exerted on the latter.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for examining and/or recording human physical disorders, in particular inflammations in the cutaneous and/or subcutaneous region, physical conditions and/or physiological processes of a person, with a sample being examined by means of a sensor unit. In addition, or alternatively, the sensor unit can be used to detect the odor of essentially the person""s entire body. The invention provides for displaying a sensor signal generated and/or processed by the sensor unit, with the sensor unit being placed in the region of the test person or patient.
Finally, the invention relates to preferred uses of an odor sensor unit, specifically and in particular for prophylaxis, the early detection of diseases, ascertaining the immune status, ascertaining the activity of the immune system or of the immune status and/or ascertaining the risk of thrombosis.
In the field of nursing care, particularly that of the elderly, there exists in many cases a significant deficit in nursing staff. The result of this is that personnel employed in this field are frequently overworked and thus lack the necessary motivation. Required nursing tasks are therefore neglected or performed unsatisfactorily. For this reason there is an expressed need for monitoring the daily tasks involved in nursing care. Monitoring by video cameras is questionable due to reasons of data privacy. On the other hand, a oral survey of the nursing-care patients is also problematical as they are either incapable of providing a concise and objective answer or provide inaccurate or untruthful responses due to their dependency on the nursing staff.
The invention is therefore based on the technical problem of improving the monitoring and/or treatment of individuals (test persons or patients).
The invention""s solution to this problem is disclosed in the features of the independent claims. A device of the kind introduced above is characterized for the solution of this problem in that the sensor unit is an odor sensor unit that does not disturb or otherwise influence the individual involved. Thus the monitoring or examination of the individual places no demands on the individual or the nursing staff. The individual does not need to participate actively in the monitoring and/or examination.
The method referred to above is characterized in that the sensor unit is employed to investigate at least one odor sample and/or in essence the entire body of a person. Furthermore, the problem is solved by employing at least one odor sensor unit for prophylaxis or the early detection of physical disorders, in particular as an indication of immune system activity, for example the risk of thrombosis and/or for investigating bacterial or viral illnesses. But the invention can also be employed to examine and/or record inflammations in the cutaneous or subcutaneous region.
The invention is based on the knowledge that the human body exudes different odorants depending on its physical state, whereby these odorants can originate at different points of the body. For this reason, it is preferable to ascertain the odor of the entire body or at lease a significantly large proportion of the body. These odorants, although produced at even the slightest of somatic changes, are in many cases present at such extremely low concentrations that they are practically imperceptible by humans.
The invention therefore employs a sensitive xe2x80x9cartificial nosexe2x80x9d, namely a odor sensor unit for ascertaining and examining the odorants. Based on the measured odorantsxe2x80x94and a subsequent thorough evaluation xe2x80x94it is possible to draw conclusions concerning the body""s current physical state. In particular, however, conclusions about the body""s state of health or alterations in it can also be drawn from changes in the concentration of (various) odorants. On the whole, the measured odorants or the measured expression of olfactory information provide essential data concerning genetic and/or physiological states as well as those concerning immunological processes in the organism. This opens up many fields of application, in particular those related to the examination and monitoring of the persons in long-term care, patients or test persons in general.
In addition, the invention is especially employed for recording the progress of nursing care treatment or the course of any other illness. Due to changes in odorant concentration it is possible to draw conclusions about whether the present state will improve, deteriorate or remain the same.
Furthermore, the invention can also be used advantageously for determining stages of sleep as well as other physiological processes during sleep. It can be used to study new findings on sleep patterns in general as well as the individual sleep phases of test persons.
In addition, the invention can also be used to monitor any healing process occurring during illness, for example that of an ulcer, in particular a decubitus ulcer. The invention can also be employed for the observation of other types of inflammation in the cutaneous and/or subcutaneous region and their origin. This even provides the possibility of administrating targeted prophylactic and therapeutic measures. Thus any necessary therapy can be established in agreement with the respective healing process, i.e. optimized in the course of ongoing phases. The indication of the measured odorant also provides an interim result which can be evaluated for optimization measures and can also be employed in a diagnosis.
Preferably a sensor unit has a sensor array, in particular an odor sensor array comprising a plurality of individual gas sensors, which react differently to specific odorants. Thus when examining an odor sample one obtains a number of sensor signals corresponding to the number of gas sensors. By distributing the odor sensors over an appropriate surface area it is possible to ascertain and evaluate the necessary, preferably entire, body surface odor.
Preferably the sensor signal(s) should be recorded continuously in order to detect any changes. By means of the further preferred use of multiple odor sensor units it is also possible to observe specific local or global changes in the test person odor and/or the emergence of a specific test person odor.
The information obtained can be used, for example, for tracing the genesis of a decubitus ulcerxe2x80x94which in particular can arise due to negligent nursing carexe2x80x94or for the early thrombosis detection. This makes it possible to administer counteractive measures in an advantageous manner. The detection of even trace odorants thus allows for the early detection of decubitus, for example.
Furthermore, dermal irritations can also be recognized. Preferably for this reason the invention makes it possible to trigger a specific alarm signal when a certain limit value is reached or exceeded in order to administer further examination procedures or any necessary treatment.